Redneck Repairs Save The Day...!

Here in the South, many times we make do with things on hand when we need a temporary repair done in a hurry!

Many times it's something like duct tape, some times it's spit and bailing wire...and some times just a simple rag stuffed in a hole can prevent a battleship from sinking!

Check out this story from the Houston Chronicle.

Near-sinking of Battleship Texas a 'wake-up call'

By AMANDA CASANOVA Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle June 15, 2010, 8:42PM

Millions of dollars and major repairs have kept the iconic Battleship Texas afloat over the years, but last weekend it was a pump and a rag that stopped it from sinking into the Houston Ship Channel.

On Thursday, an employee at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, where the Texas is moored, noticed the 96-year-old ship was sitting lower in the water than usual when he left the park. “The next morning when he got back, it was noticeably deeper,” said Mike Cox, spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “He and other staff went below deck and found the ship was taking on water — to use nautical speak.”

A combination of a pump failure and leaks — at least one new one — had caused the ship to take on at least 105,000 gallons of water and sink nearly three feet into the channel.

By Saturday, replacement pumps and a rag stuffed into the new leak had righted the ship, and it was stabilized on Sunday, Cox said. Tours of the ship continued throughout the weekend.

“We think it’s a wake-up call as to the importance to getting this vessel stabilized so future generations can appreciate and enjoy it,” he said. Cox said maintenance routinely checks the ship, and while there have been leaks in the past, this was the most serious pumping ever done for the battleship.

“This worrisome incident, which we fortunately succeeded in bringing under control, underscores the importance of moving forward rapidly with plans to place the Texas in a dry-berth,” said Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department executive director. “I’m just glad our folks at the park showed a lot of resourcefulness in preventing the situation from getting out of hand.”

Three years ago, voters approved a bond package that included $25 million to dry-berth the ship, with another $4 million provided by the Battleship Texas Foundation. TPWD has selected an engineering firm to design the dry berth and is negotiating fees.

The dry berth is slated to be completed by 2014, the centennial of the ship’s commissioning. In 1988, the Texas was towed to Todd Shipyards in Galveston for a $14 million restoration. The deck was replaced and the ship’s hull was repaired during the two-year project. “Given what happened recently, we are eager to proceed with this project,” Carter Smith said.

“We’re not going to let the passage of time do what two world wars could not do, which is scuttle the Battleship Texas.” amanda.casanova@chron.com

Stories like this make you proud to be a genuine, dyed in the wool, problem solving redneck! After all, this is the battleship Texas we're talking about, ya know?

Now, my friends, to celebrate we'll have some fresh coffee on the patio! Maybe some fresh baked cookies on the side...!